


The Rose and the Moon

by MrMagpie76



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Father Figures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28126140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrMagpie76/pseuds/MrMagpie76
Summary: Quentin Moon was not exactly a people person. Most saw him as a misanthrope. He was cold, distant, and mostly unapproachable. He lived by himself. No one ever went to go see him, and he hardly ever left the house.He had made it clear that he liked it that way. He liked the privacy. He liked the solitude. He had no time, nor the desire for friends. He simply wished to be left alone.But with the intervention of a boy named Steven Universe, that would soon change.
Kudos: 5





	1. Coffee and Doughnuts

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the first piece of fanfiction that I have written. It is however the first one that I will have completed and posted online. And so far it has been very difficult for me to work on.
> 
> I've lost track of how many times I've rewritten this chapter. First (after completing several chapters) I didn't care for how I was writing my character. He just didn't seem jaded and bitter enough. Then I noticed several things in my story that just didn't make sense. Then in the process of rewriting it, I came up with larger changes occurring in later chapters and backstories that completely sidetracked me. (Spent several hours writing notes on characters that I just came up with that probably won't even be mentioned until much later in the story. )
> 
> I even ended up redoing the picture of my OC ( for like the 3rd or 4th time now). But now that this part is finished, I think that I can finally get into a good rhythm and try to get future chapters out in a timely fashion. The next chapter is actually already written and saved on my computer, I just need to proofread and make a few adjustments, and it will hopefully be out by the end of the week.

Artwork of Quentin Moon made by me with stock photos in Paint.net

(Body made of pictures of at least 5 different people)

It was a beautiful day in Beach City. Clear skies, shining sun, crashing waves of crystal blue water, and not a gray cloud in sight. It was everything that the Beach City chamber of commerce had promised. It was a great day to go out and have fun, and coincidentally that was exactly what a young boy by the name of Steven Universe had planned on doing that day (just as he had done every other day).   
  
The light of the early morning sun gently stirred him from his slumber and, eyes still heavy with sleep, he slowly began to rise. Sitting up in his bed Steven had a clear view of the beach through his window. He smiled at the sight. It was one of his favorite parts about waking up in the morning, second only to breakfast. Speaking of which...  
  
 _growl  
  
_ Steven looked down at his gut and chuckled. "I guess it's time for breakfast. But what should I have? Doughnuts?"  
  
 _growl  
  
_ "Yeah, doughnuts." _  
_  
Quick as a flash, Steven was out of bed and dressed. His stomach demanded doughnuts and he knew exactly where to get them. He was nearly out the door when a voice called out to him,  
  
"Good morning Steven, where are you off to in such a hurry?"  
  
He stopped and turned to see Pearl busy reorganizing all of the books on the shelf.  
  
"Oh, hey Pearl. I was just about to go get some doughnuts."   
  
_Thud_  
  
They heard the refrigerator door slam shut.  
  
"Did someone say doughnuts?" Amethyst asked, racing to the door.

"Hey, Amethyst. I was just about to go to the Big Donut. You want me to get you anything?"

"You know it!"

"Alright then, be back in a bit!" Steven called as he ran out, the door swinging shut behind him.

"Oh yeah!" Amethyst cheered, flopping down onto the couch to take a nap. "I can almost taste those doughnuts already. This is gonna be great."

"Really now Amethyst," Pearl said disapprovingly. "I just don't understand how you can eat those things."

"What? They're good." Amethyst replied sleepily, already starting to doze. "You don't know what you're missing."

Pearl could only sigh to herself as Amethyst began to snore before returning her attention to the bookshelf.

\-------------

Things were a little slow at the Big Donut. Of course, it usually was slow early in the morning. This, naturally, was totally fine with Lars who wasn't a morning person to start with and didn't really care for dealing with customers in general. He never understood how Sadie could stand doing it every day and still be so positive all the time. Even now she was in the backroom doing a final check to make sure that everything was ready for the day with a smile on her face.  
  
Lars sighed to himself while he stood alone at the counter. Everything was quiet as he stared disinterestedly at the door, waiting for the first customers of the day. His eyes darted over to the clock. Barely even two minutes had passed since the last time he checked. He had the sudden feeling that this day was going to drag on very slowly.  
  
"Here we go." Lars groaned to himself as he heard the door open. He turned his attention back to the front of the store just in time to see one of Beach City's more interesting residents enter through the door.

There in the doorway, stood a man in his mid-forties wearing a pair of old blue jeans and a white T-shirt under a green windbreaker. This man was Quentin Moon.

"Good morning, Quentin!" Sadie called out as she returned from the back room.

Now, Quentin Moon was a bit of a reclusive individual. To a number of people in town, he was known simply as the Beach City Hermit. Though he had been a part of the Beach City community for many years, he did not actually reside within the town itself. He was very private, almost secretive, and tended to keep his distance from other people. He really only made trips into town when he needed to for food and supplies or to do the occasional odd job.

A large number of Beach City's residents knew him by name and reputation, although a good portion of his reputation was built upon rumors and speculation. Some suspected that he was homeless and lived in caves and in trees, while others claimed he was secretly an eccentric billionaire that built a mansion hidden out in the woods. Only a select few knew for sure.

Most people were hesitant to approach him. He always looked as if he had slept in his clothes, and his long, unkempt hair and beard contributed immensely to his disheveled appearance. This combined with the ever-present frown on his face and his solitary and quiet nature often made him come across as more than just a little intimidating to people who didn't know him well. 

Sadie's cheeriness quickly faded as she took in Quentin's appearance. For as long as she had known him he had always looked a little rough around the edges, but on this particular morning, he did not look at all well. As he made his way towards the counter she noticed that his clothes looked as if they should have been washed days ago. But more important than that was his face; his skin lacked its usual color and looked pale and sickly. And although his sunglasses partially concealed them from view, she could still just barely see the exhaustion in his eyes. 

  
"Morning, Sadie," he returned the greeting, "Lars."  
  
"Quentin, are you alright?" Sadie asked.  
  
"I feel fine."  
  
"Dude, are you sure about that?" asked Lars, actually looking concerned. "You don't look too good."  
  
"I'm fine, really."  
  
"Well if you're sure. What can I get for you?" Sadie asked, totally unconvinced.  
  
"Coffee please."

\-------------

Quentin sat at the table. The cup of coffee stood, steaming in front of him as he slumped forward in his seat. He rested his head in one hand while the other massaged his tired eyes under his sunglasses, groaning quietly to himself as he did so. After a moment, he pulled a small bottle of aspirin out of his jacket pocket. Removing two pills from the bottle, he put them both in his mouth and washed them down with a large drink of the hot, black liquid.  
  
Sighing in a mixture of pain and relief, he placed the coffee back onto the table and rested his head in his hands. He stared deeply into the coffee drifting into and out of consciousness as he struggled to stay awake. 

As Quentin began to doze, Sadie watched him anxiously from the counter.

"So are you just gonna stare at him all day, or what?"

"I'm worried, Lars. Just look at him; I've never seen him this bad before."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure he'll be fine by tomorrow."

"You think so? How can you be so sure?"

"Coffee and aspirin."

"What about it?"

"My uncle told me once that when he was in college he'd take coffee and aspirin after late nights drinking with his friends. He's obviously hungover. He must've had a pretty wild night last night," Lars chuckled.

"Lars, please."

"What? He said he's fine. And besides, unless you have some freaky mind-reading powers you've never told me about, I doubt just standing here staring at him is going to do much good. Why don't you just go talk to him, if you're so worried about him?"

"You don't think I've tried that?" Sadie said fighting the urge to scream in frustration. "You know what he's like."

Lars looked back to Quentin, who was practically sleeping at the table and sighed to himself. She was right, he did know what he was like; practically everyone in town knew. Quentin was the ultimate loner. He had always kept everyone at an arm's length. Out of everyone in town, Sadie was probably one of the few people who knew him best, and even then she still hardly knew anything about him.

Lars opened his mouth to say something but was cut short when a harsh metallic rattling sound began to fill the air.

"Oh no," Lars groaned, "that stupid air conditioner again!" he whined. 

"It's still broken?" Sadie asked finally prying her eyes from Quentin.

"I'm gonna call someone to come fix it," Lars said as he walked towards the back room. "If I have to stand around listening to that all day again, I'm gonna lose it!"

Alone at the counter again, Sadie's thoughts once again returned to Quentin. She anxiously resumed watching him as he slowly sipped on his steaming cup of coffee. She considered what Lars had said, maybe she should try talking to him. She nervously tapped her fingers against the countertop as she thought of what she would even say when the sound of the front door opened signaling that another customer had arrived. A welcome distraction.   
  
"Oh. Hi, Steven." Sadie greeted the boy as he walked through the door.  
  
"Hi, Sadie."   
  
"What can I get you? The usual order?"  
  
"That would be great! Thanks, Sadie. Oh, and a couple extra chocolate glazed for Amethyst." Steven leaned against the counter and looked around the room as he waited. He froze in surprise when he noticed Quentin seated alone at a table by the window.  
  
"Oh, I didn't know that Quentin was going to be in town today," Steven remarked. "I've been meaning to invite him to hang out with the Gems for a while."  
  
"Right now might not be such a good time for that Steven," Sadie said while she loaded a paper bag full of various doughnuts. "I think he's having a pretty rough morning. When he came in he looked like he might collapse at any moment. And he's been just sitting there in total silence for like the past fifteen minutes. I don't think he's up for hanging out with anyone today."  
  
"Hmmmm" Steven hummed in thought as he looked upon the tired man staring vacantly into his coffee. Sadie was right, he looked pretty miserable.  
  
"Here you go." Sadie placed the bag on the counter.  
  
"You know what, Sadie? I think I'll get just a few more doughnuts."  
  


\--------------

  
Quentin continued to stare into the dark void of the coffee cup. His mind was a total blank. He was starting to feel a little better, but not by much. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there when suddenly he noticed a small plate of doughnuts sitting in front of him. Directly across the table from him stood Steven, with a big, friendly smile.   
  


Quentin picked up a doughnut and took a small bite. Jelly-filled. A small trace of a smile began to form on his tired face.  
  
"Hey there, kid."

\-------------

Steven and Quentin sat eating their doughnuts in relative silence, speaking only to exchange brief pleasantries. When the two were finished Steven took his remaining doughnuts, reserved for Amethyst, and went on his way with a smile and a wave. Quentin quietly reciprocated the gesture before returning his attention to the dregs of coffee remaining at the bottom of the cup, finishing it off with one last swig. He sighed quietly as he leaned back in his seat. He took a small, red leather-bound notebook, which he was rarely seen without, from his pocket and began to thumb through the pages. Sadie smiled sadly at the sight; Quentin was smiling. Granted, it was a very small one, so small that most people probably wouldn't even notice, but she could see it.

Getting Quentin to smile was not an easy feat to accomplish. Steven, as annoying as he could be at times, had a true gift. 

Sadie sighed as Lars' words echoed in her mind as she worked the controls on the coffee machine.

_'I doubt just standing here staring at him is going to do much good. Why don't you just go talk to him, if you're so worried about him?'_

She poured the coffee into one of the standard insulated paper cups, adding the usual one packet of sugar, and grabbed a couple of extra jelly doughnuts before making her way over to the man seated by the window.


	2. Coffee and Doughnuts Pt. 2

"So... are you feeling any better?" Sadie warily asked while she watched Quentin drink his second cup of coffee.  
  
"As I've already told you; I'm fine, Sadie," Quentin said placing the cup back down on the table and picking up another jelly doughnut.

"But, yes, the coffee and doughnuts did their job very nicely. Thank you."

"Quentin, please, you're obviously not 'fine.' You looked like you were about to drop dead when you walked in."  
  
Quentin froze, doughnut near his mouth, as he looked to Sadie seated across from him and saw the pained look of concern on her face.

"Listen," he sighed. "I just had a little trouble sleeping last night, alright? Nothing to worry about."

"Trouble sleeping?" From her voice, Quentin could tell that she was unconvinced.

"Yeah," he said before taking a bite of the doughnut. He chewed it slowly, savoring the tart flavor of the raspberry jelly.

Sadie wanted to press the issue further and she fully intended to do so. But just then she was interrupted by a certain ill-tempered teen.

"Gah!" the sound of Lars' shouting could be heard from the backroom, followed immediately by him storming into the room and leaning up against the counter in frustration.  
  
"What is it, Lars?" Sadie asked turning in her seat to face him.  
  
"It's the air conditioner repair people; they're impossible! They were supposed to fix the stupid thing last week! Now, they put me on hold for half an hour just so that they could tell me that no one was available to fix it! Apparently, no one's gonna be able to even come look at it until sometime next week! I couldn't even schedule an appointment because the guy who does that was on his break!"

"Well, now that's just bad business," Quentin said as he finished another doughnut.  
  
"You're telling me," Lars grumbled. Suddenly realization flashed across Lars' face. "Wait a second. Quentin, you're here!"  
  
"You certainly have a firm grasp of the obvious," Quentin said dryly, prompting a small chuckle from Sadie.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lars grumbled, "could you take a look at the air conditioner?"  
  
"Well, I suppose so. My toolbox is out in the jeep, I guess I can take a look at it."  
  
"That would be awesome! I really didn't want to have to call them again."  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Sadie interjected. "I mean are you sure you're up for this right now?"  
  
"Sadie please, for the last time I'm fine. I just need something other than doughnuts in my stomach. And besides, it will probably be a simple fix. So I'll tell you what we'll do. You two buy me lunch today and we'll call it even. I'm thinking pizza."  
  


\-------------

  
Sitting on the ground behind the building, Quentin looked over the air conditioning unit. He wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with it. From what he could see it should have been working perfectly.  
  
"Nothing looks broken and nothing seems to be missing. Well, at least that's something." He thought aloud to himself before helping himself to a piece of the pineapple and bacon pizza that Lars and Sadie had bought for him. "It should be working now. Maybe there's a problem with one of the vents."   
  
"Hey what do you think you're doing?! Get back here!" he heard Lars yell.  
  
Curious, he poked his head through the doorway to see what the commotion was. "What's going on?" he asked Sadie.  
  
"Some kid just ran off with all the ice cream sandwiches."  
  
"I guess I'd better go see if we have any left in the back." Lars groaned. "Those better not come out of my paycheck!"   
  
"Right. Well, back to work then," Quentin remarked as he returned to the task at hand.  
  


\-------------

Pearl was frustrated. The Gems had heard that Steven's favorite ice cream treat, Cookie Cats, was going to be discontinued. Knowing how much he loved them, they had planned on stocking up on them so that he could continue to have them for a little while longer. Amethyst had volunteered to go get them herself, but unfortunately, her method of obtaining them wasn't exactly legal. Instead of buying a large supply of the frozen treats, as Pearl had suggested, Amethyst had gone out and simply took as many as she could carry (which was all of them) from multiple stores all over town and ran off with them without paying and now it was once again Pearl's responsibility to go and clean up after Amethyst's shenanigans.

Having spent the majority of the morning revisiting every place that Amethyst had robbed, Pearl had finally reached the final location; the Big Donut. Upon entering she noticed only one person at the counter. Sadie, she believed her name was.

"Hi," Pearl began nervously. "I believe this is yours," she said placing some money on the counter.

"Uh, what for?"

"For the ice creams that Amethyst took earlier today."

"Oh!" Sadie exclaimed in realization. "That was Amethyst?"

"Yes, it was. Sorry about that." Pearl apologized looking more than just a little embarrassed. "I hope this won't be a problem."

"Oh, no. No problem at all." Sadie replied as she counted out the money. "We haven't reported it yet and, seeing as everything has been paid for, I don't see any reason to."

 _Click, Click, Click..._  
  
 _Whoooosh_  
  
"Aha! There we go!" a voice came from the back room. Suddenly a man emerged carrying a pizza box in one hand, and a toolbox in the other. He set them both down and leaned up against the counter lazily.  
  
"Quentin! You fixed the air conditioner!" Sadie cheered.  
  
"Yes, no more clicking as I'm sure you've noticed. There actually wasn't anything wrong with the unit itself. One of the vents had just come loose and was rattling in the airflow. Simple problem, simple fix."  
  
Pearl stood in silence watching the two talk. She was always a little awkward around humans; she just didn't understand them, and as a result, always felt more comfortable with as much distance between her and them as possible (with very, very few exceptions). But this man was something else.  
  
Perhaps it was his messy hair, his dirty clothes, his sickly appearance, or maybe it was his apparent inability to maintain eye contact while he was talking. Whatever it was, she was almost certain that this human, in particular, wasn't one that she would care to ever associate with.  
  
As the conversation wrapped up, the man turned to leave and for a brief moment, their eyes met. She thought she saw a look of recognition flash in his eyes.  
  
"Um, hello." Pearl offered a greeting, not wanting to be rude.  
  
"Hi." he returned the greeting coldly, quickly averting his gaze and putting on his sunglasses. He slid up his sleeve and examined his watch. "It's getting late. I have to go now, I have things I need to do." He picked up his things and started towards the exit.  
  
"Oh, right," Sadie said awkwardly, "see you later, I guess. Take care of yourself, okay?" Sadie called after him. "Get some sleep."  
  
"Right, right. See you around." He said absentmindedly stepping through the door.   
  
Not long after he had left the building, the sound of an engine could be heard starting up outside before fading to silence as he drove away.   
  
"Who...who was that?" Pearl felt her curiosity starting to grow.   
  
"Hmm? Oh, that was Quentin."

"I'm not sure I've ever seen him before."  
  
"That's actually not too surprising," Sadie sighed sadly as she wiped down the counter with a damp cloth. "He's a very private person. He really only comes into town every so often when he needs to buy things. And sometimes he does odd jobs for people around town. But other than that we can sometimes go a couple of months without seeing him."

\-------------

As Pearl made her way back home she was left feeling a little strange. When she arrived back at the temple she went straight to her room and remained there for the rest of the afternoon. She did her best to push the man out of her mind. From what she had heard from Sadie, Quentin was hardly ever in town (much like herself) so it was very unlikely that she would ever see him again.   
  
But there was something about him that wouldn't let her forget. The look in his eyes had unsettled her slightly. It looked as if he had known her, and it didn't seem like he was at all pleased to see her. But try as she might she could not recall ever meeting him before. However, when she thought it over, the name did sound somewhat familiar.

Of course, there was one person by that name that she was familiar with (someone she never got along with too well) but it couldn't possibly have been him. 


	3. Eye in the Sky

The weather report had promised a beautiful day in Beach City. Clear skies and shining sun. With not be a gray cloud in sight it was a day sure to be enjoyed by all. Well, almost all.

While the vast majority of the residents of Beach City were happy to begin yet another glorious day in their happy little beachfront paradise, there was one person in particular who would have much preferred that the sun had never risen that day. In the darkness, Quentin Moon slept heavily on a couch wrapped in an old, worn blanket. With a large, empty glass bottle clutched in his hand, he slumbered seemingly dead to the world. Only when the light of the early morning sun began to shine on his face, through the open curtains behind the couch, did he begin to stir. He cracked his eyes open briefly before slamming them shut tightly and hissing in discomfort. 

He rolled to the side to shield his eyes, falling off of the couch and onto the hard wooden floor, the empty bottle clattering to the ground next to him. "Ohhh," he groaned in pain as he struggled to force himself back onto his feet using the couch to keep himself steady.

Slowly picking himself up from the floor, he felt a wave of nausea overtake him as every muscle in his body screamed out in agony. Finally, on his feet, he blindly climbed over the couch and closed the curtains before collapsing back onto the cushions. For a long while, he sat there in a daze, wondering where he was and how he had ended up like this.

Sitting there in his faded blue robe and underwear he forced himself to open his eyes. He saw that he was in a library of some sort. Directly across from him and the couch a large bookcase filled with books took up the entirety of the wall and wrapped around to the edges of the adjacent walls.

Directly in front of the bookcase a single armchair, with upholstery that matched the couch, sat empty. In front of the chair a simple, gray laptop sat on a small, wheeled desk, and directly to the side of the chair stood a small side table with a lamp and a small stack of books.

To his left, an old, dust-covered upright piano stood up against the wall with a stone fireplace taking up a large portion of the wall to the right. An old, worn-out-looking teddy bear rested on the mantel next to a small clock. Directly above them, a large portrait frame hung empty on the wall.

That was one question answered; he was home in his living-room. As for the other question, the answer came once he spotted the empty glass bottle on the floor by his feet.

"Oh. Right," he said as it all started to come back to him. 

Slowly, feeling like he was either going to throw up or pass out, he laid back down. He contemplated just closing his eyes and going back to sleep. He could probably sleep the whole day away and no one would miss him. 

"Oh, my head." 

However, given his current situation, it was unlikely that he would actually be able to sleep at all. He needed to do something about that headache. He needed to get up. 

"Alright, you can do this," he sighed to himself, struggling to get back to his feet again before slowly making his way to the bathroom. 

"Dear God," the reflection in the mirror took him by surprise, "I look like Hell."

And he did. He looked horrible; like he was either dead or at the very least, close to it. Pale skin, bloodshot eyes, complete with dark rings to go with them, and it appeared that he had also been drenched in sweat.

"Oh, this won't do at all. I have a job today. I need to pull myself together."

He did what he could to clean himself up, barely making much of a difference, and made his way to the kitchen. He had really only two options; sit around in misery as he waited for the pain to stop, or take something to help alleviate the symptoms. He chose, sensibly, to go with the latter option. 

"No, no, no, no. You cannot be serious!" He said as he searched the cabinets. "Is there seriously no coffee? Well, that's just great."

\-------------

Before long he was dressed, in clothes that in all honesty probably should have been washed days ago, and was heading for the door. He paused for a moment as he checked his pockets, and made a detour back to the living room. Scanning the room briefly, he spotted what he was looking for straight away and grabbed a little, red notebook from the side table by the chair, and resumed his journey to the front door.

Blinded by the bright morning light, he put on his sunglasses to ease his discomfort as he quickly surveyed his surroundings. The woods surrounding his home were as quiet as they ever were.   
  
After he was certain that he was alone, the door was locked, and the house secure he climbed into his old jeep and turned the key. The sound of the engine sparking to life felt like a hammer to his head, but he needed to keep going.  
  
"It won't be long now. You've got this." And with that, he started down the winding dirt road through the trees towards Beach City.

\------------

_Later that day_

Whenever Quentin came to town, he always made a point of stopping by the pier. The sound of the seagulls in the sky and the waves crashing against the ships in the water accompanied by the smell of the salty sea air always helped to put his mind at ease. So it only made sense that one of his "regular customers" for his odd jobs in town would be one of Beach City's local fishermen.  
  


He breathed deeply, taking in the briny scent, as he worked helping Yellowtail pack up his catch of the day.  
  
"Quite the productive day you've had, huh?"  
  
"Muh, Mumumuh." The fisherman mumbled in agreement.

To some people, it may have seemed that Yellowtail could not speak. But this would be false. While Yellowtail was not the most coherent of speakers, he did have a very keen grasp of the English language and enjoyed having long, in-depth discussions of many topics (usually concerning either fishing or his frustration at his eldest son not wanting to be a fisherman like him). What sounded like a series of nonsensical sounds and mumbles (a language without words) was really nothing more than simply a rather thick accent. An accent that, after years of talking and listening, Quentin could understand with crystal clarity.  
  
"Oh, yes. Quite the catch," Quentin said as he put the lid on the cooler. "There we are. All finished."  
  
"Mumumuh," Yellowtail patted Quentin on the back to signify a job well done. He stepped to the side and picked up a small canvas bag from the floor.  
  
"Oh, what's this?"  
  
Yellowtail simply smiled as he offered for Quentin to take the bag.  
  
"What? Oh, no I couldn't."  
  
"Mumuh," Yellowtail extended his hand out further.  
  
"Well, alright. If you insist." Quentin smiled lightly as he took the bag from his extended hand. "Are these herrings?" Quentin asked softly as he peered inside the bag. "Oh, I haven't had herring in ages. Thank you Yellowtail."

Quentin tied the bag closed and prepared to climb onto the dock before Yellowtail stopped him.  
  
"Muh, Mumumuh?"   
  
"Pardon? Your radio? Well, I suppose I could take a look at it. But I'm not making you any promises. I haven't done any wiring-related work in a while now.

\-------------

Quentin drove through Beach City towards his storage unit, with the bag of fish tucked safely away in the trunk next to Yellowtail's old marine VHF radio. Quentin wasn't entirely sure if he would be able to fix it, but Yellowtail had insisted that he at least take a look at it anyway. Fortunately, it wasn't an emergency. Yellowtail had a backup radio that he could use instead but wanted it fixed anyway for sentimental reasons. Having no definite deadline for it to be done, Quentin had agreed to take it home with him and see what could be done with it.  
  
The only real problem was that he was not familiar with this particular model of radio. He would need to do a little research to see what repairing it would entail. He was also fairly certain that he didn't have the equipment required for this job at the house, so he would need to pick up a few things while he was in town. After a brief stop at the library, where he managed to find and print out a copy of the radio's instruction manual, he was now on his way to U-Stor.   
  
Just as he was pulling up to the door of his unit, he noticed something odd. Everything around him seemed to have changed color. He killed the engine and paused to look around. He didn't notice when it happened, but now it appeared that the entire area was being bathed in an unearthly red glow.  
  
"Okay, now that's odd," he looked up to the sky and saw something off in the distance. "there isn't an eclipse today is there?" He opened the glove compartment and pulled out a pair of binoculars, stepping out of the jeep to get a better view.  
  
"Yeah, now that's definitely not normal."

It definitely was not an eclipse. Up in the sky was what appeared to be a gigantic, eyeball hurtling towards Beach City. In a daze Quentin stared, bewildered at the sight. Then to make matters even stranger, he saw something fly towards it at an alarming speed before bouncing off of it and falling back down to the earth below.  
  
"It can't be real. Can it? No. No, of course not. No, I must be dreaming."

He set the binoculars down on the hood of the jeep and stood at attention. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before slapping one of his hands across his face with as much force as he could manage.  
  
"Ow!" He winced in pain, "okay, so not a dream," he said as he looked back to the sky. Eyes locked on the eye in the sky he pulls a silver flask out from his jacket pocket. Holding the flask in his hand, he swirled the contents a bit and estimated that it was mostly full.  
  
"Damn, I'm definitely not imagining this," he said before taking a quick sip from the flask and stuffing it back into his pocket. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
"A giant eye in the sky. That can't be good, now can it? No, that's definitely not good," he felt his heart begin to pound as his breathing became shallow.  
  
"Okay now, stay calm. Just stay calm."  
  
"No, no, no! Not now!" he heard someone shout from the other side of the garage. Curious, Quentin walked around the building to see what the commotion was. He was surprised to see Greg Universe behind the wheel of his old van, in a panic as he turned the key in the ignition, the van only giving a sharp clicking sound in response. His son, Steven was sitting in the passenger seat next to him looking equally as anxious.   
  
"Well now. Hello, there you two," Quentin said as he approached the van.  
  
"What? Oh, hey Quentin." Greg answered as he continued to try and fail to start the van.  
  
"Hi, Quentin!" Steven waved through the window. Quentin smiled briefly and returned the wave before turning his attention back to Greg.  
  
"What's the matter? Engine trouble?"  
  
"Yeah, I just can't get this thing to start," Greg said, desperately turning the key in hopes that there was enough power to start the engine just once.  
  
"Hmmm," Quentin hummed in thought as he listened carefully to the clicking noise coming from the van, "sounds like your battery. Hold on a second, I've got a set of jumper cables in the jeep," he said disappearing around the corner.  
  
A moment later he returned as he pulled up alongside the van in his jeep and in a matter of seconds had the jumper cables connected to both vehicles. Quentin started his jeep and after he was sure everything was running smoothly he shouted over to Greg, "Okay, try it now!"  
  
Greg took a deep breath and uttered a silent prayer as he turned the key. Once the van roared to life he breathed a sigh of relief, while Steven cheered.  
  
"Thanks, Quentin," Greg sighed in relief, "We owe you one."  
  
"Hey now, no worries. We'll talk about it the next time I bring my jeep in for a wash, alright?" Quentin said as he disconnected the jumper cables and put them back in the trunk.  
  
"Ha ha ha," Greg laughed, "You got it buddy!" and with that, he put the van into drive and began to move forward. It was then that Quentin first noticed the electrical cord tied to the back of the van leading back into the open storage unit. Nearly the entirety of the unit's contents ballooned out before falling to the ground in a heap surrounding a large pink object.  
  
Quentin stood, transfixed, as he watched Steven and Greg load the thing onto a small red wagon, which immediately gave out under the weight. The pair waved goodbye as they drove off with the wagon trailing behind them, sparks flying out from the broken wheels. Quentin absentmindedly returned the wave as he watched them disappear down the road.   
  
"Now what the heck was that thing, I wonder?" Quentin pondered to himself aloud. "Maybe an old prop from Greg's rock 'n' roll days? No, no of course not. I would have seen that thing years ago if that were the case."  
  
His musing was cut short as his attention returned to the giant eye in the sky. He sighed tiredly to himself before returning to his storage unit. He didn't have time to worry about Greg and Steven's antics. He had a lot of work to do.

\--------------

Pearl and Garnet stood on the Beach as the Red Eye got ever closer to the planet's surface. A wave washed Amethyst back onto the shore after her most recent attempt to stop the Eye.   
  
"Throw me again, I think I'm cracking it," she said as she got back to her feet. Just then she heard music playing. It was one of Greg's songs that he wrote for Rose. Just then Greg's van came into view, with Roses laser light cannon being pulled behind it. "Is that...?"  
  
"Hey, guys!" Steven called out through the open van window.  
  
"He really had it!" Pearl Gasped in shock.  
  
"We're saved! Amethyst cheered.  
  
Suddenly the earth started to tremble as the Eye's gravitational pull began to affect the city, ripping roof tiles off of the beach house and knocking over the sign of Mr. Fryman's restaurant.   
  
"We have to use it now," Garnet ordered.  
  
"I don't know how it works, it was Rose's!" Pearl panicked.  
  
"Dad, how do we use it?" Steven asked his father, getting only a shrug in response.  
  
"Steven," Pearl said grabbing at his shoulders, "this is serious! The gem. You have Rose's gem!"  
  
"That's it!" Amethyst shouted as she picked up Steven and started rubbing him against the cannon. "Ahhh, come on!"   
  
"Stop that," Garnet commanded.  
  
"It's no use," Pearl said hopelessly.  
  
"Fine, forget it. Throw me again!"  
  
"That's not going to work," Pearl argued.  
  
The gravitational pull of the Eye increased in strength as it began to pull the van and the cannon towards the water. Greg untied the cannon from the van and tried to stop the van from moving, but was unable to make a difference as he was dragged behind it.  
  
"Please work- unlock- activate- go- please!" Steven pleaded still clinging to the side of the cannon as he hit his hands against its hard surface desperate to make it work. "Everyone's counting on you, you can't just be useless! I know you can help."  
  
"It's okay, Steven. We'll figure out something else, something even better." Greg said still being dragged behind the van.  
  
"R-r-r-right, if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs."  
  
Suddenly the cannon began to glow with a pink light. The top of the barrel opened, pushing Steven off, who fell back down to the sand.   
  
"It's working!" Pearl shouted.  
  
The hinges of the cannon unlocked and the barrel fell to the ground. Steven rushed forward to try and lift it back up to aim it at the Eye but was barely able to budge it on his own. Fortunately, he was not alone.  
  
"Steven!" Pearl called out as the three Gems and Steven started to lift the cannon barrel.  
  
"This is it!" Amethyst shouted as the barrel was leveled with the Eye.  
  
"Brace yourselves!" Garnet ordered.  
  
Suddenly a bright beam of light in the shape of a rose erupted out of the cannon and raced through the air towards the Eye. In an instant that felt like an eternity, everyone stared in anticipation as they awaited the impending collision when the light and the Eye finally met.  
  
Glowing cracks spread throughout the surface of the Eye as the light of the cannon began to consume it. There was a bright flash as the light swelled out, fracturing the Eye into shards. Large chunks rained down to the earth below. Most fell into the ocean, but some managed to land on the beach and the boardwalk; resulting in one flipped car and a few people running for cover.  
  
"Steven, you just saved most of Beach City!" Amethyst congratulated.

"Sorry about that!" Steven called out to Mr. Fryman.

"What?!" Mr. Fryman called back, who had absolutely no clue what was going on.

"How did you make it work?" Pearl asked the boy.  
  
"I just said that thing that Dad always says."  
  
"That thing about pork rinds?"  
  
"Hot dogs." Garnet corrected placing a hand on Pearl's shoulder.  
  
"Rose," Greg said wiping a tear from his eye.  
  


\-------------

Later, after the Gems helped to prevent Greg's van from being washed away into the sea, Greg was busy making sure that nothing got ruined by the seawater while Steven and the Gems prepared to transport the laser light cannon back to the temple.  
  
"I still can't believe it," Pearl thought out loud. "Greg actually had it all this time."  
  
"Yeah," Amethyst agreed, "I really thought he would've lost or broken it by now."  
  
"But he didn't," Garnet stated. "He came through for us, just as I'm sure Rose knew he would."  
  
"Yeah, we totally saved the Day!" Steven cheered in excitement. "Oh, and Quentin too!"   
  
The Gems stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.  
  
"What did you just say?" Pearl asked apprehensively.  
  
"Who?" Amethyst asked curiously.  
  
"What? Come on Amethyst, you know Quentin."

"Oh, wait a minute," Amethyst said in realization, "You don't mean Quentin Moon do ya? Man, I haven't seen that guy in like forever."

"I just saw him this morning at the Big Donut."

Pear felt as if she had just had a tank of ice water dumped on her. That really was Quentin she saw. She hadn't recognized him at all.

"Wait, what?!" Amethyst shouted. "Man, if I knew he was going to be there, I would have gone with you." 

"Wait, Steven? How exactly did Quentin "save" Beach City?" Pearl asked, her voice practically dripping with skepticism.  
  
"We just found Mom's cannon, but then Dad's van wouldn't start. Quentin saw we were in trouble and came over to help. If it wasn't for him, we never would've gotten here in time."

"Yep, that's Quentin for ya," Greg chuckled, "always ready to lend a hand. Or jumper cables..."  
  
"Well, it certainly doesn't seem like he did anything too heroic," Pearl muttered.  
  
"Hey Steven," Amethyst began, ignoring Pearl, "Why don't we ever see him anymore?"  
  
"Well, he doesn't really get out much. I was actually thinking of inviting him over to the temple sometime. I've been meaning to have you guys hang out together for a while."  
  
"Steven, I really don't think that's such a good idea," Pearl said nervously.  
  
"What? Why not?"  
  
"Because it's too dangerous..." Pearl rushed to find an excuse. "We're always getting attacked...or other things happen...and he could get hurt."  
  
"Leave it to Pearl to worry about every little thing," Amethyst complained. "Nothing will happen. And even if it does, we'd be able to handle it. Besides, I'd like to see him again. It's been too long since I hung out with someone cool."   
  
"Hmph. What do you think Garnet?" Surely Garnet would make the right decision, Pearl thought.  
  
"Please, Garnet," Steven begged.  
  
"Alright."   
  
"Really?!" Steven cheered. "Woo-hoo! This is gonna be awesome!"

Steven excitedly ran over to his dad to tell him the plan. "That's a great idea, Steven," he said with a smile. "Quentin's been looking pretty down, well for pretty much as long as I've known him. Some real social interaction may be exactly what he needs. But I'm not sure he'd come to a party or anything like that. Leave it to me, I think I know how to get him to come over."

"Garnet, are you sure about this, I really don't think..."  
  
Garnet raised a hand and stopped Pearl mid-sentence. "It will be alright. I'm confident we'll be able to handle anything that comes our way. Now let's get the cannon back to the temple."

While Amethyst was busy laughing about Garnet shutting down Pearl's argument, Pearl groaned to herself quietly as they began the difficult task of carrying the heavy cannon. She couldn't believe it. She had hoped and prayed that her chance meeting with Quentin would have been a one-time occurrence. But now very soon not only would she see him again, but he would be inside her own home.

"Why him?" she whispered to herself, "Why him?"


End file.
